Leaving a Provider Before End of Contract

MangoStan

Hi everyone - apologies for the long post, but I would really appreciate some advice as to how to deal with this situation.

I was with TalkTalk for 4 months of a 12-month contract before moving home back in August. First engineer visited on the 12th August but said he couldn't connect it but it would be finished off the next day. This never happened and after weeks of phone calls to TalkTalk's extremely frustrating home-move department, I managed to book an appointment for another engineer visit on 8th October. This second engineer said the first one never completed the job and called a colleague to finish the job. After that I had internet and could make calls but not recieve them from my landline. This all ceased after 3 days and I got an email on 11th October notifying me that my order had been cancelled. I rang TalkTalk and they apologised that they had accidentally cancelled the whole order and the earliest they could send an engineer to reinstate the service was 5th November.

I have been really fed up of not having internet and TalkTalk continually screwing up; I know they have a terrible reputation and I probably should have been more wary but I never had any problems at my old address. Moreover, when I arranged the next engineer appointment for 5th November, I am pretty sure I agreed (twice) with the manager I spoke to then that if I wanted to cancel at any time, I would be able to do so without incurring the fees for early termination of the contract. When I rang back to cancel, they claimed he only put a note on the account saying I would only be exempt the fees if TalkTalk cancelled, not myself. They say they have to pull up a recording of the phone call as they didn't believe me and that this would take 3-5 days.

My question is, they have accused me of breaching contract by trying to exit before the committed period has passed. Are TalkTalk not in breach of the contract by not providing me a service for 3 months? Not to mention, by the time the months left on the contract are spent, it would actually be 15 months since I first entered the contract?

At my wits' end and can't believe they are allowed to conduct their business this way!

networkguy_2

So you started a 12 month contract in (say) April, moved at the start of August, arranged for line and broadband to continue from the new (family home) address, but they have been incapable of providing full service since then, only given partial service (? What worked, if anything, during September? Could you make calls but had no broadband, or what?) and they have continued to fail to provide full service, albeit with a November date for them "resolving" this. I appreciate it is a heck of a long time, and no wonder you're less than happy with them.

I think you might be best checking whether they list some independent arbitration service such as CISAS and see what conditions have to be met before you can report TalkTalk to them, to determine if you have received fair treatment, and whether you should be compensated, given their poor handling to date.

Can only wish you well.